Now Ragnar turned toward Thóra’s cabin, and when he came inside the fence where the dragon was, he stabbed his spear into the dragon and pulled the spear back, and then he stabbed at the dragon again. The spear pierced the dragon’s back, and then Ragnar twisted the spear so swiftly that the spearhead came loose from the shaft. The dragon made so much noise as it died that the cabin shook all around.
Now Ragnar went away. A splash of the dragon’s blood hit him between the shoulders, but it did not harm him because the clothes he had made protected him.
The people inside the cabin awoke from the noise and went outside. Thóra saw a big man walking away and asked his name and where he was going. He stopped and spoke this poem:
"Beautiful woman,
I have honorably risked
my life, fifteen years old,
to fight the serpent.
I would be dead
from the snake’s bite
if my spear had not bitten
the viper’s heart sooner."
Now he went away and said nothing more to her. But his spearpoint remained in the dragon’s wound, though Ragnar took his spearshaft with him.
{91} When Thóra heard his poem, she understood what he said about what he’d done, and how old he was. She thought about who he might be, but she did not know whether he was even human or not, because it seemed to her that his size, for someone of his age, was like that of a monster. She returned to her room and went back to sleep.
And when people came outside later in the morning, they saw that the dragon was dead, wounded by the big spearpoint that was still in the wound. The jarl ordered the spearpoint taken out, and it was so large that it could have not served many men as a useful weapon. Now the jarl thought about what he had said about the man who managed to kill the dragon, though he did not know whether this had been accomplished by a human man or not. He spoke with his friends and his daughter about how he should look for the man, and he thought it likely that this man would want the reward that had been promised.
Thóra suggested that a great meeting should be called, "And declare this: that all men should come who are able and who don’t want to face the jarl’s anger. And if the man who killed the dragon is one of them, he will probably have with him the spearshaft that fits the spearpoint."
The jarl thought this was a good idea, and he called together a meeting. And when the day came for the meeting, the jarl and many other chieftains came, and there was a great crowd.
Chapter 4. Ragnar Marries Thóra
It was heard on Ragnar’s ships that the meeting was a short time away, and Ragnar went to the meeting with nearly all his men. And when they arrived, they stood a certain distance from the other men, because Ragnar saw that a great crowd had come, as was expected.
Then the jarl stood up and commanded silence and spoke. He said his thanks to the men who had carried out his orders so well, and then he told of what had taken place. First he told them what he had promised as a reward for the man who killed the dragon, and then, "The dragon is now dead, and the man who did this great deed left his spearpoint in the wound. And if the man who has the matching {92} spearshaft is one of you here at this meeting, let him bring it forward and prove the story. Then I will do everything that I have promised, whether he is of low or high birth." And he concluded his speech by ordering that the spearhead be taken around to every man at the meeting, and ordering his men to ask each man present who owned it or who had the spearshaft that it matched. This was done, but the man who had the spearshaft was not found.
Yet when the jarl’s men came to where Ragnar was standing, and showed him the spearhead, he admitted that it was his, and the spearshaft and spearhead matched. Now the men thought it was certain that it was he who had killed the dragon, and because of this deed he became very famous throughout Scandinavia, and he asked for the hand of Thóra, the jarl’s daughter, and the jarl took this well. And now she was promised to Ragnar, and a great feast was prepared with all the best delicacies in that kingdom, and the wedding took place at this feast.
And when the feast was finished, Ragnar went home to his own kingdom and ruled it, and he loved Thóra well. They had two sons: the older was named Eirek, and the younger Agnar, and both were big and handsome and much stronger than most other men who were alive at the time. They learned all kinds of skills.
And one day Thóra became ill, and she died of her sickness. Ragnar took this so badly that he did not want to rule any longer. He set up other men to rule in his stead along with his sons. And at this time Ragnar took up the same practice he had followed earlier, and went raiding. And wherever he went, he took the victory.
Chapter 5. Concerning Ragnar and Kráka
Now one summer, Ragnar sailed to Norway because he had many kinsmen and friends there and he wanted to see them. One evening in Norway he came to a little harbor and he rested his ships there for the night. There was a farm a short distance away which was called Spangarheið.
When morning came, his servants were supposed to go to land to bake bread. They saw that there was a farm just a short distance away, and they thought it would be better to go to the house and do their task {93} there. And when they came to the little farm, they found one person there, and it was an old woman, and they asked her whether she was the lady of the house and what her name was.
She answered that she was the lady of the house, "And my name is unusual. I am named Gríma. But who are you?"
They said they were servants of Ragnar Loðbrók, and they wanted to do their chores, "And we would like it if you helped us work."
The old woman answered that her hands were very stiff. "Although once it was said that I could do my chores very well. But I have a daughter who might work with you, and she will be home soon. Her name is Kráka. It’s gotten to where I can barely tell her what to do."
On this morning Kráka was seeing to the livestock when she saw that many large ships had come to land, and she went and washed herself. Gríma had forbidden her to do this, because she did not want anyone to see her beauty since she was the most gorgeous of all women, and her hair was so long that it fell to the earth around her and was as beautiful as the loveliest silk.
Now Kráka came home, and Ragnar’s servants had made a fire. Kráka saw that men who were unknown to her had arrived. She looked at them, and they at her.
The servants asked Gríma, "Is this your daughter? This beautiful woman?"
"It is no lie," said Gríma, "She is my daughter."
"You two are extremely different," said the men, "considering how ugly you are. And we have never seen such a beautiful woman. She seems not to have taken after you at all, since you’re the worst kind of misshapen thing."
Gríma said, "Don’t judge me by my looks now. My beauty is nothing like what it used to be."
Now the men said that Kráka ought to help them work. She asked, "What kind of work should I do?"
They said that they wanted her to make loaves of bread that they would bake. And she took up this work, and did it well. And they watched her the whole time, so that they neglected their own chores and burned the bread.
And when they were done with their work, they went back to the ships. And when the breakfast was served, everyone said that the {94} servants had never done such a bad job and that they deserved to be punished for it.
Ragnar asked them why they had prepared the food so badly, and they said that they had seen a woman so beautiful that they couldn’t pay attention to their chores, and they thought there couldn’t be a woman more beautiful than she was in the entire world. And since they spoke so emphatically about this woman’s beauty, Ragnar said she could not be as beautiful as Thóra had been, and he knew that for a fact. But his servants said she was definitely not any less beautiful.
Then Ragnar said, "I will send some men who I know have good eyesight. And if it is as you say, then your negligence will be forgiven. But if the woman is less beautiful than you say in any respect, you will be punished
severely." And now he sent his men to find this beautiful woman, but there was such a strong wind against them that they could not travel that day, and so Ragnar said to his messengers, "If you think this young woman is as beautiful as I have been told, tell her to come visit me. Tell her I want to meet her and I want her to be mine. But I don’t want her to be clothed or naked, fed or starving, and I don’t want her to come alone, though I want no other person to come with her."
Now the messengers went back to the house. They looked as much as they needed at Kráka, and the woman seemed so beautiful to them that they thought they had never seen another so beautiful. And they passed along the words of their master Ragnar about how she should come to him.
Kráka thought about how the king had said she should come to him, but Gríma thought it was impossible to do and that the king couldn’t possibly be sane. But Kráka said, "Since he said it, it must be possible to do, if I just understand what he means. I certainly can’t come today, but I will come early tomorrow morning to your ships."
Now the messengers left, and told Ragnar they had done as he asked, and that she would come to meet him.
Kráka stayed at home that night, and early in the morning she told the farmer Aki that she was going to see Ragnar. "But I will need to change my clothing somewhat. You have a fishing net that I will wrap around myself, and I will let my hair fall around it, and then I will not be naked. And I will chew on one onion, and that is only a little food, but just the same it can be said that I ate. And I will have your dog follow me, so that I won’t be alone, but no person will be with me." {95} When Gríma heard her plan, she thought the girl was wise. And when Kráka was ready, she walked to the ships. She was a beautiful sight, and her hair was so bright that to look at it was like looking at gold. And now Ragnar called to her and asked her who she was and whether there was someone she wished to meet with there. She answered with this poem:
"I did not dare to break your order,
when you told me to come,
I did not dare to disobey
what Ragnar commanded.
No person is with me,
and my skin is not bare,
though I am not alone
and I am not clothed."
Now Ragnar sent men to meet her and bring her onto his ships. But Kráka said she did not want to go unless she and the dog were both greeted with peaceful intent. Then she was led onto the king’s ship, and when she came to his place on the deck, the king bowed to her, and her dog bit his hand. His men leapt forward to kill the dog, garroting the dog’s throat with a bowstring and killing it that way. They did not hold the peace with her any better than this.
Ragnar laid her down in his quarters next to him and spoke to her, and she pleased him greatly and he was cheerful with her. He spoke this poem:
"If the lovely lady
likes this warrior,
she will certainly
take his hand."
She said:
"My lord, I have
come only to visit you.
If you will honor our pact,
let me go home."
{96} Chapter 6. Ragnar Weds Kráka
Ragnar told Kráka that he desired her, and that he wanted her to come with him. She said this was impossible. Then he said that he wanted her to stay the night on his ship.
She said this would not happen before he had come back from the trip he planned, "And it may be that you will feel differently afterwards."
Then Ragnar called to his treasurer and commanded him to find a shirt that Thóra had owned, which was sewn all with gold, and bring it to him. Then he offered it to Kráka in this way:
"Will you receive this,
which was owned by Thóra,
this shirt worked in silver?
It suits you very well.
Her beautiful hands
touched these treasures;
I loved that woman
till death parted us."
Kráka said in response:
"I don’t dare to take it,
the treasure of Queen Thóra,
a shirt worked in silver.
Ugly clothes are what suit me.
I am called Kráka, ‘Crow,’
in my coal-black clothes,
and I walk in the scree
and herd my poor goats."
She continued, "I will certainly not accept this shirt. I’m not going to dress like a queen while I live among peasants. Maybe you’d like me better if I were dressed better, but I want to go home now. You can send men for me later if you still feel the same and want me to come with you."
Ragnar told her that he would not change his mind.
{97} Now Kráka went home, and once they had a favorable wind, Ragnar and his men sailed on as they had originally planned, and he did everything he intended there. And when he came back the second time, he sailed into the same harbor where he had anchored before when Kráka had come to him. And that night he sent messengers to find her and tell her that Ragnar said she should come with him for good. But Kráka replied that she would not leave before the morning.
Kráka woke up early in the morning and went to the bed of Aki and Gríma and asked if they were sleeping. They said they were awake and asked what she wanted. She said that she intended to go away and not stay there any longer. "But I know that you two killed Heimir, my foster-father, and there is no one I owe worse than you. Still I will not have anything cruel done to you, because I have been with you a long time.
"But I will say this: Each day will be worse for you than the last, and your final day will be your worst. And now we part forever."
Then she went to the ships, and she was welcomed well, and the winds were favorable. That evening, when the men went to bed, Ragnar said he wanted Kráka to sleep in the same bed with him.
She said this would not happen, "And I want you to marry me, when we get back to your kingdom. I think that I am worth that, as are you and our children, if we have any."
He honored her request, and the journey went well for them. Then they returned to Ragnar’s kingdom, and a great feast was prepared to greet him, and they drank ale in celebration of him and his marriage.
And the first evening when they shared the same bed, Ragnar wanted to make love to his wife. But she asked to be excused from this, and told him he would be punished for it if she didn’t get her way. Ragnar said he didn’t believe it, and he said neither one of them was an old man or woman with second sight. He asked how long this would go one. She said:
"We will live in the hall
three nights together,
then we’ll pray to the gods
and make a sacrifice.
Otherwise there will be
{98} a curse on the son I bear:
if you are too eager to have me,
he will be born with no bones."
And though she recited this poem, Ragnar ignored it, and he did as he desired.
Chapter 7. Concerning the Sons of Ragnar
Time passed, and their life together was good, with much love. Then Kráka became pregnant and in due time she gave birth to a boy. The boy was sprinkled with water and given the name of Ívar. But the boy was boneless, and it felt as though there was only gristle where the bones would be. And while he was still young, his height was such that there were few men as tall as he was. He was the handsomest of all men, and so wise that it is unlikely there was ever a wiser man than he was.
Ragnar and Kráka had still more children. Their second was named Bjorn, the third Hvítserk, and the fourth Rognvald. They were all great men and the boldest of warriors, and as soon as they were old enough they learned all sorts of skills. And wherever they went, Ívar had himself carried on a stretcher because he could not walk, and he was the brothers’ leader in whatever they attempted.
Now Eirek and Agnar, sons of Ragnar and Thóra, were also great men, such that one could hardly find their equal, and they went out on warships every summer and they became prominent men because of
their raids.
And now one day Ívar spoke to his brothers Hvítserk and Bjorn and asked them how long they would go on with sitting around at home and not seeking out their fame. And they said that he would have the deciding vote about that, as he did about everything else.
Ívar said, "I want us to ask for ships, and for troops so that they’ll be well-manned, and then I think we should go and get ourselves treasure and fame, if there’s any out there to get."And when they agreed to this, they went to Ragnar and told him they wanted ships, and men to man them who were experienced in battle and ready for anything.
{99} Ragnar gave them what they asked for, and they sailed away when the troops were ready. And wherever they fought against other men, they had the upper hand, and they won more followers and more treasure. And now Ívar said to the others that he wanted to go where they would find more opposition, and where they could really test their manliness. They asked where he thought this might be.
Ívar mentioned a place that was called Hvítabǿ, where sacrifices had been held, "And many have tried to conquer it, and none have succeeded. Ragnar himself went there and was forced back without taking it."
"Is there a large army there," asked the others, "one very difficult to beat, or are there other obstacles?"
Ívar said that it was both very densely populated and a great place of sacrifices, and this had stopped everyone who had come and none of them had managed to take it.
They said that Ívar would decide whether they ought to go there or not. And Ívar said that he would rather risk their courage and see if it was more powerful than the sacrifices of the people of Hvítabǿ.
Chapter 8. The Ragnarssons Conquer Hvítabǿ
Now they sailed for Hvítabǿ, and when they made landfall there, they prepared themselves for the assault. They thought that some of the troops ought to guard the ships, and it seemed to them that their brother Rognvald was too young to be a capable fighter in such a great test of men as this battle was likely to be, so they had him guard the ships together with some of the troops.
Before they departed their ships, Ívar told the troops that the town’s inhabitants had two young steers, and that men had run away from them on account of being unable to endure their terrible noises and magic. Then Ívar said, "Stand against them as best you can, even if they frighten you—and you will not be thought less of, if so."
The Saga of the Volsungs Page 14
